The mission of the Catholic Education Foundation for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati (CEF) is to strengthen the Catholic identity of our schools. The foundation’s board oversees implementation of the One Faith, One Hope, One Love tuition assistance program, remaining faithful to campaign benefactors by investing the money wisely.

Board members are listed below.

Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr was named coadjutor archbishop of Cincinnati in 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI and became archbishop the following year upon the retirement of his predecessor, Daniel E. Pilarczyk.

Archbishop Schnurr previously had served as bishop of Duluth, Minnesota since 2001. He studied canon law in Rome and was ordained a priest in the diocese of Sioux City, Iowa in 1974.

His administrative service to the Church has included appointment as national executive director of the 1993 World Youth Day in Denver and as general secretary of the U.S. bishops’ conference.

To read Archbishop Schnurr’s letter to the faithful about the campaign’s importance, click here.

Anthony M. Ciani has a business degree from the University of Dayton with emphasis in accounting, economics and business organization in addition to a Master of Business Administration from Xavier University.  He served two major corporations in an executive capacity in the information technology field.

Mr. Ciani opted for early retirement to pursue service to the Church and to the secular community. Over the past couple decades he has served on scores of boards and committees, typically as president or treasurer. To name a few: former campaign manager and board president, Sowing Seeds of Growth (tuition aid fund for urban children); current board member of the Urban Child Development Resource Center, a UD program which places mental health counselors (psychologists) in Catholic Schools; current president of the City of Dayton Board of Zoning Appeals; current strategic planning coordinator and Finance Council President, St. Mary Parish. He has also served and continues to serve on numerous non-profit charitable and other corporation boards and on other committees.

“Those who have been fortunate sometimes view their lives in three phases – learn, earn and return,” he said.  “I’m in my third phase.  Catholic Education has long been a passion of mine.  I’m grateful and excited about the opportunity to serve on the Catholic Education Foundation Board and hope to make a positive contribution to this noble initiative by employing the knowledge and skills developed through my education, professional experience and volunteer experience.”

John M. Garmhausen is a practicing corporate and business attorney in Sidney. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University and earned his Juris Doctorate degree from The Ohio State University College of Law.

He has served on numerous community boards and has been involved with Lehman Catholic High School for many years, having served on the Lehman Foundation Board, including 10 years as President.

Mr. Garmhausen was the Chairman of Lehman’s 21^st Century Campaign that raised in excess of $7 million for the school and Endowment Funds and served as Co-Chairman of the Holy Angels Heritage Campaign.

Mr. Garmhausen and his wife, Debra, raised four children, all graduates of Lehman.  Mrs. Garmhausen taught for 25 years at Holy Angels and Lehman Catholic.

They are members of Holy Angels parish in Sidney.

“I am pleased to have been asked to serve on the Board of the Catholic Education Foundation as a representative from the northern Archdiocese,” he said. “I expect the CEF to play a significant role in coordinating the distribution to the schools in our Archdiocese of the monies raised for that purpose as a result of the One Faith, One Hope, One Love campaign. My objective will be to see that the monies earmarked for our students are distributed consistent with the promises made to the many faithful Catholics who have generously contributed to the campaign.”

Susie Gibbons is superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese.

She’s a former teacher in our  school system and has been with the archdiocesan Catholic Schools Office since 2010, previously serving as Director for the Southwest Cluster and Secondary Schools.

For 13 years before that she was principal at Seton High School, where her previous positions had included assistant principal and  department chair.

She also taught math and French at her alma mater, Archbishop Alter High School.

She was appointed superintendent in June 2016.

Richard Kelly is chief financial officer for the archdiocese. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Law and also earned degrees in finance and theology from Xavier University, where he is an adjunct professor in business law and ethics.

Mr. Kelly is a chartered financial analyst, a chartered property and casualty underwriter, and a fellow with the Life Management Institute. His service has included membership on the investment committees for the Glenmary Fathers, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, the Athenaeum, and the board for the Catholic Community Foundation. He formerly worked as chief investment officer for Safeco Corp. and for the Ohio Casualty Insurance Group.

Mr. Kelly belongs to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and works at its food pantry.

Mary Lynn Naughton is program director of the Mathile Family Foundation, a foundation providing  grants to organizations serving needy children and families in the Miami Valley. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies from the University of Dayton and holds two master’s degrees from UD,  in Teacher Education and in Theological Studies. She has previously worked as a teacher in Bethel Schools, as manager of the University of Dayton Bookstore, and project director of the Dare to Dream Foundation.

“As a Catholic Education Foundation Board member, my role is to provide input and to participate in strategic discussions around the development of the tuition assistance program,” she said. “The success of the 1Faith1Hope1Love Campaign has provided an exciting opportunity to assist families in accessing a quality catholic education for their children.  My hope is that this Board will also continue to explore innovative ways to support and sustain Catholic Education for the future.”

Father Jan K. Schmidt,  director of the Archdiocese’s Pastoral Life and Evangelization Department, is an Archbishop McNicholas High School and University of Cincinnati graduate who worked as a theme park executive before entering Mount St. Mary Seminary.

Ordained in 1990, he taught at Archbishop McNicholas High School and served as resident associate at St. Andrew parish in Milford, then at Our Lord Christ the King in Mount Lookout while teaching.

He became pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary parish, Anderson Township in 1995.

Father Schmidt was pastor of St. Margaret of York parish in Loveland for eight years before being appointed to the Pastoral Life and Evangelization Office in July.

Susan Pichler: Mrs. Pichler (pictured with her husband, Joseph A. Pichler, retired board chairman of The Kroger Co.) has been a volunteer with inner-city Catholic schools in the Cincinnati Archdiocese since 1989. She was a librarian at St Francis Seraph School for 20 years. Since 2009, she has volunteered as a writing tutor in the Lavatus Powell Urban Schools Program at Purcell Marian High School.

Other volunteer work in the community includes serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and as a Board Director of the Cincinnati Nature Center. She has been a member of the CISE Advisory Board since 2010.

She served on the Board of Trustees of her alma mater, Saint Mary’s College at Notre Dame Indiana, from 1999-2005, and at Chatfield College from 2003-2006.

She says: “We’ve been involved in education for many years. Because of our strong interest and confidence in the mission and excellence of our Catholic schools, we are happy to serve on the Catholic Education Foundation Board to help ensure the future of these schools.”

Dick and Maureen Russell: Mr. Russell is a certified public accountant and retired CEO of Danis Construction in Dayton, Mrs. Russell holds a master’s in clinical counseling. They co-chaired One Faith, One Hope, One Love’s largest parish campaign, at Incarnation in Centerville, which exceeded its goal of more than $3 million. They also serve on the board of the Catholic Community Foundation for the archdiocese.

You can read more about the Russells and what they have to say about the campaign by clicking here.

No board member receives any compensation for board service. Be sure to bookmark this page for updates on the Catholic Education Fund and the tuition fund!